Sheil Kapadia

Philly.com

So it should really come as no surprise that Sanders sounded off during an NFL Network appearance tonight when asked what his first thought was when he heard the news that the Eagles had dealt McNabb to the Redskins.

"First of all, I gathered myself and sat down because I couldn't believe that this was the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my entire life, except for that Herschel Walker 'shibocle' years ago," Sanders said, apparently so distraught that he had to make up a new word. "But you trade a guy in your own division that you got to see him twice, and you have [Kevin] Kolb, [LeSean] McCoy, [Jeremy] Maclin and DeSean Jackson - seven years amongst the complete trio of playmakers that you have for an 11-year guy that has taken you to five NFC championships and a Super Bowl. Man, are you kidding me?"

Sanders was asked if the Redskins have leapfrogged the Eagles in the NFC East pecking order. He said the Cowboys and Giants are at the top of the division, and then it's a toss-up between the Eagles and the Redskins.

That's when co-host Warren Sapp jumped in.

"You look at these two teams... they swapped quarterbacks," Sapp said. "Now the Philadelphia Eagles have the worst quarterback in the division, and the Redskins have one of the best defenses, and now you give him a veteran quarterback. Prime, Philadelphia's at the bottom of this division right now."

That's all it took to convince Sanders.

"You know what, I would agree with you, big fella. I would," he said. "Dumbest trade ever. I'm still mad about this trade."

You may remember that a couple years ago after the Eagles beat the eventual NFC champion Cardinals at home on Thanksgiving, McNabb made an NFL Network appearance where Sanders called Eagles fans "idiotic" and admitted that he couldn't stand them.

One Andy Reid sidenote to all this. For the first time in years, he'll be able to play the whole "nobody thinks we're any good" angle. Almost every season during the McNabb/Reid era, the Eagles have been a popular or trendy pick to make noise in the NFC.

But in 2010?

It doesn't look like that'll be the case. I don't know exactly what that different mindset counts for. Ultimately, it will come down to whether the players are good enough. But as we see athletes create feelings of disrespect for added motivation all the time, it certainly can't hurt.